Bengals' Dalton says he feels no added pressure this season

Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton is concerned about only one thing amid pressure on Cincinnati.

Cincinnati have missed the playoffs in three straight seasons with Dalton under center, but he said he is not focusing on the past.

"I don't feel like there's any extra pressure," Dalton said, via Cincinnati.com. "I think we have high expectations for ourselves. I'm not worried about any added pressure. I'm just worried about winning.

"Win games. Win games in the playoffs. Win the Super Bowl. That's what it comes down to. The ultimate goal is to start off by winning the division and go from there. Those are the big goals. For us, we want to play sound football in all phases of the game. That's the biggest thing going to Seattle week one into a tough environment."

Dalton will be playing for a new coach this season as the Bengals parted ways with Marvin Lewis in late December and hired Zac Taylor to replace him.

Taylor praised Dalton and said he has "been impressive" during training camp and the preseason.

"He sees protections very well, so you always feel like he's going to protect play calls that you're not fired up about once you get to the line of scrimmage," Taylor said. "He's going to find his man and get us to the next play. He has good touch, good accuracy, and he knows where the ball should go. I'm very happy that he's our quarterback."

Dalton was limited to just 11 games last season because of a thumb injury. He threw 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while the team registered a 5-6 record in his starts.

The Bengals have two preseason games remaining before they face the Seahawks on September 8.

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With Week 2 underway, we take a look at the top storylines around the league.

From reaction to the Carolina Panthers suffering another loss on Thursday to New York Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams responding to Odell Beckham Jr.'s recent comments, we follow all that is happening on Friday in this edition of NFL news and notes.

Three things that matter

Cam Newton takes blame after Panthers start season 0-2

After the Panthers fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-14 on Thursday, quarterback Cam Newton shouldered most of the blame. He said all fingers will be pointed at him to try and figure out how to turn around an 0-2 start.

"We didn't uphold our end and we're past due. Special teams had a good return, defensively we were stout all game, but all fingers are pointing back to me specifically – and the offense," Newton said. "It's extremely frustrating knowing that you're getting opportunities and you just can't put the ball in the end zone. That's what we have to figure out – what I have to figure out."

Newton threw for 324 yards but completed just 24 of 51 passes and was sacked three times as the Panthers failed to score a touchdown. There has been speculation with Newton's health as he had shoulder surgery during the offseason and suffered a foot injury in the preseason. Coach Ron Rivera insisted, though, that Newton's health is not a concern.

"There's no issue with his shoulder. He threw the deep ball today, threw it a couple times," Rivera said.

Williams responds to Beckham's 'cheap shots' comment

Jets defensive coordinator Williams responded to Beckham's accusations that the coach told his players to injure the wide receiver during a preseason game two years ago. When pressed about Beckham's recent claims, Williams said with a slight laugh: "Odell who?" before saying, "That was a joke ... that was Jerry [Jones]," in reference to how the Dallas Cowboys owner responded to Ezekiel Elliott holdout questions in the preseason.

"We don't do that. Never done that anywhere I've been. We don't do anything to hurt the team," Williams said.

Beckham said on Thursday that Williams, who was a defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns from 2017-18 before serving as interim head coach in 2018, coaches his players to make "dirty hits and cheap shots" targeted at him. Beckham added Williams "changed my life forever" when he was hit during a preseason game in 2017 while playing for the New York Giants, which resulted in an ankle injury. He claims Browns players told him that Williams would tell his players to take the receiver out.

Needless to say, Monday's Week 2 game between the Jets and Browns will be an interesting one.

Giants receiver Sterling Shepard out against Bills

The Giants will be without a key part of their offense against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. New York have ruled out wide receiver Sterling Shepard, who was placed in the NFL's concussion protocol this week as a result of a hit he suffered in Week 1's loss to the Cowboys. The Giants had been hopeful that Shepard would be ready to play and he continued working on the side in practice this week.

Coach Pat Shurmur said on Thursday he was "doing OK", but still needed to pass steps in the protocol before being cleared.

The news certainly is not good for the Giants as their receivers have been hit hard with injuries. Cody Latimer (questionable for Sunday's game) and Darius Slayton (ruled out) are both hampered by hamstring injuries. In addition, Golden Tate has three games remaining on his suspension for violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances, and Corey Coleman is on the injured reserve.

The Giants re-signed TJ Jones on Thursday to fill the void.

Two things that don't matter

Bill Belichick mum on Antonio Brown's Week 2 status

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick addressed Antonio Brown's Week 2 status, though he was not willing to divulge too much information about his game plan for Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.

"We'll do what's best for the team," he told reporters on Friday.

Brown practised with the Patriots on Wednesday after signing a one-year deal with the team at the start of the week, but Belichick said Brown still has "a long way to go" and the receiver is "not familiar with our offense".

Brown has been accused of sexually assaulting his former trainer, Britney Taylor, in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday in the Southern District of Florida. The lawsuit alleges there were three separate incidents, two of which occurred in June 2017. Taylor alleges in the suit she was "forcibly raped" by Brown in the other incident, which took place in May 2018.

Torrey Smith retires after eight NFL seasons

Torrey Smith is ready to call it a career. The former receiver last played for the Panthers, but he was cut less than two weeks ago. He previously spent time with the Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles.

"Dear football, I knew this day would come, and to be completely honest, I've been preparing for it my entire career," Smith said during a video posted on Twitter. "You and I both knew the game for me wouldn't last forever. It's the NFL circle of life and I'm prepared for what's next."

Smith, 30, finished his career with 319 catches for 5,141 yards and 41 touchdowns. He won Super Bowl titles with the Ravens and Eagles.

One video you have to see

In the NFL, players become known for their touchdown celebrations, and it looks like some rookies were practising their moves.

Friday's tweet of the day

Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins had high praise for the Jacksonville Jaguars' Jalen Ramsey. He said Ramsey is his "favourite corner to play against".

Cam Newton acknowledged fingers will be pointed at him as he took the blame after the Carolina Panthers fell to a 20-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday.

Quarterback Newton threw for 324 yards but completed just 24 of 50 passes and was sacked three times as the Panthers failed to score a touchdown and slipped to 0-2 for the first time since 2013.

The former first overall draft pick was wayward with a number of his attempted passes but denied he was feeling any lingering effects from January shoulder surgery and a preseason foot injury.

Asked where things went wrong, Newton said: "A lack of execution offensively. Through my lens, it's hard to look defensive guys in the eyes after a game like this. Offensively, we didn't hold up our end of the bargain.

"We didn't uphold our end and we're past due. Special teams had a good return, defensively we were stout all game, but all fingers are pointing back to me specifically - and the offense.

"It's extremely frustrating knowing that you're getting opportunities and you just can't put the ball in the end zone. That's what we have to figure out – what I have to figure out.

"I have to be better. No matter what physical condition I'm in, no matter what – shoulder, foot – I didn't get the job done.

"It's time for me to look myself in the mirror and do some real soul searching because I had some opportunities and I didn't get it done."

Newton had two carries for zero yards and the lack of threat he offered on the ground helped the Bucs stop Christian McCaffrey, who had 37 yards rushing, on fourth-and-one from the two-yard line with one minute and 21 seconds left in the match.

"That's the thing that's most frustrating, having the talent and skillset we have and not putting up one touchdown," Newton said. "That's just unfortunate. It starts with me. I've got to be better."

Coach Ron Rivera dismissed questions about Newton's condition, the signal caller having undergone a second shoulder surgery in less than two years at the start of 2019.

"There's no issue with his shoulder. He threw the deep ball today, threw it a couple times," said Rivera.

Both teams had something to prove on Thursday and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers came out on top against the Carolina Panthers 20-14.

Jameis Winston had to show that he was ready to lead the Buccaneers, while Panthers star Cam Newton had to prove he was ready to return to form as an NFL MVP.

Winston and Newton were coming off forgettable starts but only one was able to turn it around in week 2.

Winston was able to lead Tampa Bay past Carolina at Bank of America Stadium as the Panthers' winless start to the season continued.

The Bucs' defense helped shut down Newton and company, who had a chance to complete the comeback when they had the ball, trailing by six points, inside the five with time winding down. But a big defensive stop by Tampa Bay sealed the game.

Here are three takeaways from the Buccaneers' much-needed win over the Panthers.

The 'Quarterback Whisperer' finally got to Winston

Bruce Arians is known for his ability to fix quarterbacks. He has helped develop Pro Bowl signal-callers Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Andrew Luck and Carson Palmer. Now, Arians is tasked with turning around Winston's career.

Winston – the first overall pick in the 2015 draft – has underperformed after his Pro Bowl rookie season. Since joining the NFL, he has the most turnovers (79) and interceptions (61) in the NFL and is tied for the most fumbles lost (18) and his first game of the 2019 season did not look promising. He threw three interceptions while completing just over 55 per cent of his passes in last week's 31-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Normally, a quick turnaround to a Thursday night game would fatigue most players. But it seemed to do the opposite for a seemingly energised Winston.

He finished the game 16-of-25 passing for 208 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown pass to Chris Godwin.

Newton shut down by Bucs defense

Like Winston, Panthers QB Newton needed a big night. Unlike Winston, he was unable to do so against a tough Buccaneers defense.

Now how much was Newton self-sabotaging and how much was the effort of Tampa Bay, which has turned around under the leadership of Todd Bowles, is up for debate. But at the end of the night, Newton was sacked three times and had the ball punched out by the Bucs, who then recovered the fumble. He completed 25 of his 51 passes in the loss.

On its own, it could be chalked up to a poor night. But consecutive ineffective games is a troubling sign for the seemingly healthy Newton.

Did the Panthers ruin their playoff chances?

This is not a first, or second, week overreaction. Now that the Panthers are 0-2, they have a 12 per cent chance of making it to the postseason. The odds — unless they become the 2018 Houston Texans or Seattle Seahawks, who made the playoffs despite the dismal start — are not in their favour.

Both of Carolina's losses came at Bank of America Stadium, which is not ideal considering four of their next five games are on the road. If wins at home are hard to come by with a struggling Newton and Christian McCaffrey, who has yet to get going, then facing the likes of the Texans and Buccaneers (again) on their turf will be a big test for the team.